


Always Up for the Adventure (or whatever this is)

by tadok0ro



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: M/M, Rating May Change, Spoilers, Tags to be added, prolly eventual smut, spacefaring kiss boys, will cover Kadara through the end of the game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-15 22:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10559084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tadok0ro/pseuds/tadok0ro
Summary: Reyes was the sort of man that Scott couldn't resist. The sort of smooth-talking bad boy type that he always crushed on when watching vids. And now he had to march face first into the pitfall that was Reyes' room in Tartarus all because the continued existence of everyone in the cluster was riding on his shoulders and that mattered more than his pride.Unfortunate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just gotta toss in my own version of Reyes' romance because why not

Kadara, despite it's dangers and hatred for the Nexus, was becoming a safe-haven for Scott. The residents didn't give much of a shit about him beyond their disdain and honestly it was a welcome reaction. The Nexus, Aya, Prodromos, even Taerve Uni required him to keep up appearances, either because he was the big damn hero or because he was an outsider. It was exhausting.

 

He could cut back a bit on Kadara, at the very least.... Plus he really needed to address the issues keeping him from placing an outpost. Addison was on his ass about it nearly daily because of how long he'd been openly operating on Kadara with nothing to show for it.

  
He knew how important it was, but there was one problem with that plan that went by the name Reyes Vidal.

  
It wasn't anything against the man himself it was just.... Scott didn't _dislike_ Reyes. That was worrying enough as it was for a smuggler who'd made Scott's stomach flip from just some friendly business chat and a smooth wink.

  
Reyes was the sort of man that Scott couldn't resist. The sort of smooth-talking bad boy type that he always crushed on when watching vids. And now he had to march face first into the pitfall that was Reyes' room in Tartarus all because the continued existence of everyone in the cluster was riding on his shoulders and that mattered more than his pride.

  
_Unfortunate,_ Scott thought as he avoided a puddle of water on the walk to Tartarus. He had Vetra and Drack with him, hoping that they'd help him out if anything bad happened in the slums.

  
And secretly he hoped that their presence would keep him grounded while talking with Reyes.

 

\----

 

  
They didn't help at all.

  
He'd flirted with Vidal the first moment it presented itself and _fuck_ Reyes flirted right back at him with a smirk that suddenly made Scott forget about his teammates. It was unsettling how easy the back and forth happened between them had been and it wasn't until he was leaving the private room that Vetra snickered and _whoops they'd seen all of that._

 

"Kids these days," Drack huffed with a fond bark of laughter.

  
" _Among other things_ ," Vetra said, mocking Scott's own words to Reyes minutes before.

  
"Ok I hate both of you right now," Scott said, crossing his arms like a petulant teenager. He certainly felt like one now, insides all flustered, face red while his friends teased him. _Just like when they took classes on the Citadel. Sara, always by his side, laughing when he had a hopeless crush on a turian classmate._

  
There was something to be said about the normality of the moment, despite everything going wrong in the galaxy, and the profoundness of that fact, but all Scott wanted to do was go out into the badlands and dive into the burning water.

  
" _Pathfinder, I would advise against that course of action. The acidity would burn through your shields and then you're armor, killing you within a few seconds._ " SAM spoke through their private channel.

  
"Don't make it sound even more appealing, SAM."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the shift in tense this chapter  
> all of this is unbeta'd so hopefully there aren't any glaring flaws

_"It's about the cargo," Reyes' had said with a laugh._  Scott wants to believe him wholeheartedly. Maybe too wholeheartedly.

 

_''Eagerly' would be the correct term, Pathfinder,'_ SAM chimes in through their private channel.

  
He doesn't really care. Kadara, _Heleus as a whole_ , weighed on him too much for jealousy start playing into things. Reyes could see whoever he wanted and Scott could just ignore the sad pang it left in his chest. It's about the cargo.

  
Despite all the warning alarms that Zia set off in regards to Reyes, _he doesn't care._

  
Reyes may be greedy, but he was still a good man. Scott had seen it every time Reyes spoke of Kadara and actually seemed to give a shit about the issues in the port. Had seen it when he brushed off any praise despite doing most of the work that helped save lives.

  
_"You have no idea, but you will."_

  
And Zia pulls out her gun. _No trigger discipline, she'll shoot to kill. She's aiming for Reyes._ The panic that lances through his gut makes biotics flare to life, forming a shield just in time for the bullet to reflect right back at her. It's a sloppy shield that breaks a second later and Scott already feels overexerted from the effort. He's not biotic, _shouldn't be biotic_ , but the implant lets him do a lot of things he shouldn't. Let him _be_ a lot of things he shouldn't. Like Pathfinder.

 

The firefight that follows doesn't last long.

 

\--

 

"You really saved my ass there, Scott," Reyes says. _Scott_ not Ryder or Pathfinder.

  
"It was nothing really," Scott's voice cracks a bit. His throat was already dry from strict water rations, thanks to someone forgetting to refill the Nomad's stock, and hearing his own name spoken by Reyes for the first time took care of the rest.

  
Reyes sighs, wipes the sweat off his brow with the sleave of his shirt, "Not even a credit to show for all the effort."

 

_Don't flirt don't flirt don't flirt._

  
"Getting to work together again was enough for me," Scott says lamely. _Nailed it._

  
Reyes offered a small smile, gentler than all the others Scott had been on the receiving end of and he swears it's almost timid.

  
They fall into silence as they gather the bodies by the doorway to loot their belongings. Scott wonders when exactly looting became such a blasé thing, wonders if this made him a shitty person (probably). Wonders what dad would think of all this.

  
"I can take care of the rest," Reyes offers, tone back to business, breaking the silence and the line of thought. "Go on." He nods his head toward the door, towards the badlands where there's still so much to do.

  
"I _can_ take the time to help, you know?" Scott says because honestly the shitty prefab-turned-smuggler-drop point feels like a shelter in the storm of shit outside. Outside where he'd be Pathfinder yet again and have to play the hero, making decisions that were way too important for one person to make. "If Zia's right there are a lot more people that'll come after you."

  
"You worried about me, Ryder?" Reyes' brow rises, teasing smirk back in place.

  
"Yes." It's blunt and unguarded and honest and Scott's too tired to punch himself in the face despite the limitless desire to do so. He's not sure if this was an improvement from flirting.

  
Reyes' smirk falters, eyes flashing from teasing to... something else.

  
"By the way," Reyes' starts, voice quiet and soft in a way that felt entirely too private, too intimate. "What you said to Zia, about me being a better man? Thank you." Reyes looks at him, eye-to-eye and at some point during their scavenging, they'd drifted very close together. The light of Kadara's setting sun spills through the window, the natural light catching on Reyes' features, making his eyes flash gold and glinting and _shit-_

  
Scott wishes he has something to hold onto because he felt like the world had spun and turned him on his ass. There's a nagging impulse in his hands, almost an ache, to grab Reyes, to _kiss_ Reyes, but it just makes his hands tremble lamely at his sides. It's too fast, too soon, he's the Pathfinder and he's gotta stay _focused_.

  
"Do... you two need some privacy? Or do you enjoy having an audience?" Peebee voice came out of nowhere and it's like a bucket of cold water (or acidic Kadaran water) was dumped on him. She'd made herself comfortable on one of the empty crates, legs swaying casually, watching them intently. "I mean, I wouldn't mind the show, but Liam... might."

  
Liam's pointedly facing away, stiff as a board, and _oh yes right, squadmates ahaha._

  
Reyes chuckles, "Get going _Pathfinder_ , I'm sure we'll see each other soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

Scott doesn't return to Kadara for a long time. He sometimes gets emails from Reyes updating the going-ons in the port and what the outlaw gangs were up to, but he rarely replies. He's pulling the threads to find Meridian, caught up in that so much he puts all the planets and outposts on a back-burner.

  
The Archon's flagship happens and everything everything in the galaxy feels like shit.

  
So much death, his own included on that mile-long list.

  
And honestly, he's not okay, but he could do without his team and crew walking on eggshells around him. Or maybe it's because of the SAM in his head, the SAM that had killed him. Either way, Scott hates it all. There are thoughts that creep into his head that haven't plagued Scott since before Andromeda. Thoughts like wishing SAM hadn't succeeded bring him back. It sounds too appealing. Maybe SAM had failed and everything was just feedback between his brain and the implant making him feel alive? Maybe he was in a coma like Sara.

  
But he checks his email and there's a new one at the very top, flagged by SAM as important. It was from Reyes, inviting him to a party and the way his heart pounds in his chest is too real, he's very much still alive and so is Reyes and maybe everything isn't so shitty after all.

 

\--

 

The party is definitely shitty.

  
It reminds Scott of the intensely chaperoned dances that'd been thrown by his school on the Citadel, but instead of a lecture by a concerned adult it would be a bullet hole from an angry Outcast. The entire thing feels like a tinderbox just one strike away from bursting into flames.

  
The similarities to the school dances felt even more real when Reyes ditches him and Scott tries not to feel so down about it.

  
"Don't worry, Pathfinder," Keema says, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he won't leave you for long," she smiles, eyes twinkling in the low lighting of the 'throne room'. "He _likes_ you."

  
Scott laughs, brokenly, nervously, "I mean he ditched me two minutes into this party he invited me to, so I'm not so sure."

  
"Oh, don't be foolish," she bats at the air, dismissing the Scott's doubt. "You're all he seems to talk about," she says and Scott tries not to feel so giddy about that fact. "It's hard to talk about business because he keeps bringing you up, it's adorable, really."

  
He has a hard time imagining it, but it still makes him blush.

  
"Enjoy the party, Pathfinder."

  
He doesn't really enjoy it. It wasn't anything special like Reyes had claimed, and Scott feels disappointment as he clings to his cup of shitty whiskey like it's a lifeline.

  
When he finds Reyes poking around in Sloane's side-room that disappointment slides into the dirty feeling of being used. He tries hold on Keema's words _'The thing about Reyes is that he always has a good reason, you'll see.'_

  
"It's for both our benefits, I promise."

  
He tries to stay annoyed at Reyes, tries so very hard, but they're very close together in a packed storage room. He hasn't seen Reyes for a long time, at least not so up close and personal, not since they dealt with Zia and he's not so sure how long ago that was--traveling around the cluster, _dying_ , being shoved face-first into memories that weren't his had a way of blurring things together. He's forgotten how nice Reyes looks, how real and alive he is and at this distance he can get a whiff of his scent-- fancy and flowery like he'd swiped enough nice soap and clean water to wash up just for this. All Scott wants to do is touch him to make sure he's real, that he's _there_ and not just some memory playing through his implant.

  
"When exactly are you going to make good on all these promises?" Scott asks, because really he wants to believe Reyes' word, it was just getting hard.

  
Reyes steps in closer, voice low, a mischievous smirk making them almost a purr, "Soon, I promise." But then there's the tell-tale clanking of armored boots on the plating outside. No doubt one of the Outcasts keeping an eye on things and Reyes' sly appearance breaks with the panic that sets in. "Shit, someone is coming. We need a distraction."

  
It's an impulse, something Scott had seen in too many cheesy vids spurred on by his own greedy desire. He tugs Reyes in and presses their lips together in the least passionate way possible. He freezes because _wow_ was that a bold overstepping of boundaries that he wasn't entire sure Reyes would like.

  
But Reyes moves his lips against Scott's and hums a sound of approval that has Scott's hands shaking where they awkwardly hold onto Reyes' shoulders.

  
It's tame and polite as far as make-outs go- Reyes' hands barely touching his waist, there's no tongue and there's a respectable space between their bodies- but it has Scott fumbling to keep up. It's been a long time, he's horribly out of practice and nerves have him on edge. _It's just a distraction_ , he reminds himself just as he's getting into the groove of things again and wants. Wants to chase down warm wetness of Reyes' mouth. Wants to hear that pleasant hum against his mouth again. Wants to delve deeper with his tongue and drink in everything that was _Reyes Vidal_ and take everything that he was promised.

  
He feels lightheaded and dazed when Reyes pulls away. Everything is still catching up when Reyes takes hold of his hand and leads him out from the party with the stolen bottle of whiskey.

  
They're both laughing as they exit the headquarters, _giggling_ practically.

  
Reyes' smile, his gentle guiding grip, the Kadaran breeze sweeping through the market. It feels like falling. Like the plunge onto Habitat-7, the frightening yet exhilarating free-fall into something new.

 

\--

 

"I've never shown this place to anyone else," Reyes says, breathless from their dash away from Sloane's den. He uncaps the bottle of whiskey and takes a swig without hesitation before offering it to Scott. "Cheers."

  
It's strong and Scott was never much of a whiskey person, so the complexity of flavor is lost on him. But it's alcohol and he could use it more than air. SAM never let him get drunk, or at least raised his tolerance to an absurd degree, but he hoped this would have an effect.

  
The view isn't the best, but the way the sun crests over the jagged mountains and bathes the port in a comforting warmth is... something special.

  
Scott passes the bottle back to Reyes as an excuse to sneak a glance at the man. 'He always has a good reason.'

  
"Beautiful, isn't it?"

 

"Yeah, it is." All Scott is looking at is Reyes, though.

  
Reyes hands the bottle back and catches his gaze and huffs an almost nervous laugh. "What? Is there something on my face?"

  
Scott bites his tongue, there are a million responses he could launch back and flirt-- a confident ' _Why yes there is,_ ' followed by a kiss-- but for once his mouth is sluggish on the uptake.

  
"No, I-," Scott stumbles, his face is red. He just made out with the dude and he's getting flustered just by being caught staring. "Thanks." He says lamely, taking another swig of whiskey because _yikes he needs it_. "Thanks for sharing this with me." He's not sure if he means this spot, the whiskey, or both.

  
"I'm sure it's _nothing_ compared to the things you see," Reyes teases, bumping their shoulders together.

  
And yeah, maybe it was hard to compare to the dark and dangerous bio-luminescence of Havarl, the startling clear sky of Voeld peppered with stars or the gorgeous blue of Aya's waterfalls. But when he glances at Reyes, profile lined in a halo of warm light as he looks over the skyline with a reverent awe, Scott realizes there's no where in the galaxy he'd rather be.

  
These are the moments that make it all worthwhile. His dads words that surely weren't meant to apply to sitting on a rooftop and staring at a handsome man, but...  
"It's better."

  
\--

 

He's asked a lot of people why they came to Andromeda, but none with as loaded a reason as Reyes.

 

_To be someone._

  
An honest answer from a man that had flirted and teased his way through most of their conversations. It has Scott's head spinning.

  
"You're someone to me," Scott's words tumble out. _You're too much to me_ , the words catch in his throat and try to claw their way out. They've drank most of the bottle and he really feels it despite SAM's best efforts.

 

"Scott..." Reyes sounds as winded as he feels and _oh._

  
Reyes' hand traces along his jaw, cups the back of his head, tentative and delicate.

  
Scott's already leaning in because _yes_ , his body practically thrums with satisfaction when their lips meet. He's alive and so is Reyes and Reyes _wants to kiss him._

  
It's slower than the stockroom and real and _not a distraction_. The angle's awkward, not much room to deepen the kiss, a bottle of practically priceless whiskey between them and they're completely visible to any market-goer that might look up towards the rooftops, but it's perfect. Scott's insides are giddy and light and this somehow feels more like a victory than taking on the Archon's flagship.

  
And then there's static in Scott's ear from a comm-link that should have been disabled for the evening, ruining everything.

  
Reyes pulls away slowly his eyes still closed, their noses bump as they catch their breath. There's silence between them for a what feels like forever, everything else had melted away into a blur.

  
"Scott," Reyes starts, eyes fluttering open and meeting his. There's something raw in Reyes' eyes that punches the wind from his lungs, but everything about Reyes seems to do that. "I'm-"

  
"Scott!" Cora's voice sounds loud and urgent through the comm and the universe makes itself painfully known to Scott once again. "There you are! We've been trying to contact you."

  
Scott doesn't want to answer, doesn't want to move, doesn't want to be Pathfinder anymore.

  
He _does_ want kick SAM's ass for turning on the comm link though.

  
Reyes grins, although looks disappointed and a bit relieved.

  
"Sorry." Is all Scott can say really. He takes one swig of whiskey before addressing Cora. "What's up?"

  
"Somethings come up, we're needed back at the Nexus ASAP." The commlink clicks off.

 

"When the hell will I get a real night off?"

  
\--

  
When Scott's back on the Tempest Cora spares him both a lecture and an explanation once she see's how sauced he is directs him towards Lexi, who gives him some Akantha to help with the hangover he'll surely get. If it was Nexus business then he needs to appear as a Pathfinder should, which meant talking with the leadership and Scott _doesn't give a shit._

  
He gets himself off for the first time in over 600 years thinking about Reyes' hands and mouth on him. Imagining Reyes touching him, making his body sing while he falls apart into a moaning mess. When he comes, almost embarrassingly fast, it's with Reyes' name tumbling from his lips, muffled into his palm in an attempt to be quiet.

  
A bone-deep weariness sets in and he sleeps soundly. For once no nightmares.

(In the morning- or rather, when SAM wakes Scott up, he finds that the Akantha doesn't help very much. The hangover kicks his ass, but it was worth it.)


End file.
